Method of knitting tubular patterned fabric



, My 10, 1960 N. LEvlN 2,935,863

s WX mi r56 n l l l l l INVENTOR. Nahan/ Levi 2,935,863 METHOD FKNIT'TnvG TUBULAR PA'ITERNED FABRIC Nathan Levin, Trenton, NJ., assignerto Textile Machine Works, Wyomissing, Pa., a corporation of PennsylvaniaApplication September 10, 1956, Serial No. 608,777 i c Y' 9'c1aims.-(c1. v664s) The present invention relates generally to therart ofknitting and more particularly to weft knit fabric composed ofsutuiegjoined areas or portions of fabric having an overplaid designincorporated therein and to the method of making the same.

In ant-application Serial No. 584,932, iiled May 15, 1956, of which thepresent application may beconsidered a continuation-in-part, a method ofknitting anoverplaid design in suture joined areas of atubular fabric isclis-` closed, the method generally providing for the operation of afour feed vcircular knitting machine in such manner that an oppositepair of feeds (also known as knitting stations l(forms 'a correspondingrst pair of fabric areas oppositely disposed in the tubular fabricwhilethe intervening pair of feeds incorporates the overplaiddesign withinthe first pair of fabric areas during the knitting thereof, and thenreversing the action of Leachvof the pairs of feeds for the formationofY a second-pair of overplaid-ornamented oppositely disposed areas,Ythe fabric areas `of said rst and second pairs and of other similarpairs thereof being arranged in alternation to form said tubular fabric.In .the fabric made according to the above method, the lines of theoverplaid-design are formedl of stitches of overplaid yarns and extendat an angle to the wales, rst inonedirection and then in the other alongwhat may be termed zigzag lines, the successive` courses of the designstitches being formed on successively adjoining pairs of needles. Theappearanceof the design stitches, and of the design lines formedthereby, is somewhat different in each of the angled lines of thedesign. This Adifference stems from the fact that when; .the designextends in one direction there are no reverse rear floats of Vtheoverplaid yarns whereas when the design extends in the oppositedirection there are reverse oats of the overplaid yarns.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a fabric having `anoverplaid type of design incorporated i the product resulting therefrom,as hereinafter more particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the drawings: Figure 1 is a side View of one side of a solidcolorstocking of the Argyle type having an overplaid type of:

design of the present invention incorporated therein; e, Fig. 2 is adiagrammatic view of the stitch construction of thevoverplaid and of thebody yarns in a portion ofv stocking fabric in the area enclosed by therectangle,in

dicated at 2 in Fig. l;

Fig. 3 is a view similar to rectangle indicated at 3 in Fig. l; and

v Fig. 4 is a schematic View of the needle operations V'atva pair Vofknitting stations. v

Benjamin Franklin Coile, Serial No. 329,801, led January 6,.1953, towhich reference may be made.

In the machine of the Coile application, hosiery of the Argyle orIntarsia type having solid color, suture joined,

therein, the lines of which extend at forward and reverse angles to thewales, and wherein the lines of the design are generally similar in.appearance regardless ofthe direction in whihgthey extend.` f ,f Y

It is also an objectof the present invention to provide `a fabric havingan overplaid type of design incorporated -therein, the lines of whichextend at forward andreverse angles to the wales,'and wherein thesuccessively formed courses of the design stitches have at least onevWale in common and within which the overplaid yarns form tuck stitches.l e ,1 I

Itis a further object of the present invention to provide a method ofknittinggan overplaid type of design in a fabric wherein the le4 gneedleof each needle group taking the overplaid-ty aused to form a tuck stitchand wherein at least onemrieedle is common to successive f needlegroups.

theillustrative embodiment .of the, invention shown in theaccompanyingdrawings, the invention resides the ndvel features ofthe present methodof lknitting and in four-section patterns may be reciprocatorilyknit bymore than one method. One method includes the simultaneous formation ofthe fabric areas of the four-section patterns whereas a second methodincludes the simultaneousformation of oppositely disposed pairs offabrics areas of opposite pattern sections. It is with the secondymethod` of knitting that the present invention and application `SerialNo. 584,932 are concerned in Vconnection withthe incorporation of anoverplaid design in the hosiery. Y

As illustrated in Fig. l, the stocking includes a top 10, a leg portion11, and the usual' foot portion 12., The leg portion is provided with afour-section pattern of diamond shaped Argyle design of which 4there arethe upper opposite pair of side half diamonds, one of which is shown at13; the intermediate opposite paircof side diamonds, one of which isshown at `14; the lower opposite pair of side half diamonds, oneof'which is shown at `15; the front and rear upper pair of diamonds,halves of which are shown at 16 and-17; and the front and rear lowerpair of diamonds, halves of which kare shown at 18 and 19. TheY variousdiamonds are Ysuture joinedalong diagonally extending suture linesindicated at 2t)t t The diamonds themselves, each of asolid bodycolor,are ornamented with an overplaid design comprising relatively narrowspirally extending lines of stitches 21 of contrastinglycolored,yarns,the lines of the overplaid design generally dividing eachdiamond into a group of four smaller diamonds. The side diamond areas13, 14 and 15, land the opposite side diamond areas are disposed indiamond areas 17 and 19, 'are disposed in theV intervening f pair ofsections of the four-section pattern. 'It will be noted that there is anumber of wales common to adjfa cent pattern sections. f

Generally in the method set forth in application Serial No. 584,932,when each pair of oppositely disposed diamonds is simultaneously made atan opposite pair ofv knitting stations of body yarns, the overplaiddesignis simultaneously incorporated in the said pair of diamonds at theremaining opposite pair of knitting stations using a pair of overplaidyarns at each of the latter identified stations. `bodyyarn at any oneknitting station, its overplaid design is made at the adjoining pair ofknitting stations of an overplaid yarn fed at each of them. The selectedneedles taking the overplaid yarns at each of the said; adjoiningvknittingstations comprise successively adjoining` pairs of needles forsuccessivecourses of the overplaid design, the

vselection of .the vpair-sofneedles progressing around nthe Patented May10,j,'1901 Fig. 2l but related tothei With respect to `any singlediamond Vmade vof athe oveiplaid yarns during each knitting strokethereof,l

with the leading needle of each group tucking the overplaid yarns.Additionally the needle selection is such that one needle is common tosuccessively yadjacent groups of'v needles, so that in the presentinstance, one needle is the terminal needle of one group and is also theleading needle ofthe needle group next adjacent thereto. While eachgroup unit includes three needles, inasmuch as one needle thereof merelytucks the overplaid yarns, theA units of the design stitches have theappearance of only two stitches in each of the overplaid design courses.

A representative portion of the overplaid and body yarn stitchconstruction has been illustrated in Figures 2 and 3, these beingportions of the zigzag design line 21a enclosed within the dotted lineboxes 2 and 3 of diamond 414 in Fig. 1. The zigzag line 2la of theoverplaid design in the right hand half of diamond 14 represents buthalf-of the entire design for this diamond, there being a left handzigzag design 2lb in the left hand half of the diamond; The two zigzagportions 21a and 2lb are substantially identical and it is onlynecessary to show the stitch construction of one of them. It will beunderstood that in the other diamonds the portions of the designcorresponding to the zigzag portions 21a and 2lb of diamond 14 are ofsimilar construction. It will also be understood, in connection with thediamond 14, if it be made at a knitting station diagrammatically shownat Cin Fig. 4, thatthe zigzag overplaid line 21a will then be made atadjoining knitting station D shown to the rightof station C, while thezigzag lines 2lb will be y made at an adjoiningiiknitting station (notshown) to the leftl of station C.

` In the illustration of Fig. 2, the body yarn stitches of diamond area14 may be made of a yarn 22 reciprocatorily knit upon theneedles N asthe latter move to the left and to the right (in a moving cylindermachine) past the knitting station Ckwhile the overplaid stitches may bemade of a yarn 23 during part of the needle movements past the knittingstation D. It will be noted that a second yarn 24 is customarily fed atstation D, but since this yarn is incorporated in a fabric area made atanother knitting station (not shown), it need not be further deuascribed. While the body yarn is shown floated across certain wales inFig. 2,-*the formation of these floats by the needles N is not indicatedin Fig. 4 in order to simplify the explanation, because the iioatformation is not in itselfra part of the present improvement, andbecause it is fully described in application Serial No. 584,932.

The course 25 of body yarn 22 will' be made as the needles N move to theleft past station C during which the oat 26 will be made in the wales 27and 28 behind the previously formed overplaid stitches 29 and 30 oftheseV wales (but not behind the tuck stitch 31 which will be formedlater). The course 32 is formed of the body yarn 22 as the needles Nreverse their travel and move to the right past station C during whichthe float 33 will be made in the wales 27 and 28 behind the overplaidstitches 29 and 30 but not behind the tuck stitch 31 which still has notbeen formed. At this point the needlesv N will all have body yarnstitches thereon except the needles of wales 28 and 27 which will havethe stitches 29 (but not tuck stitch 31) and 30 thereon. This movementback and forth at station C is indicated at level A of Fig. 4, whereinthe knitting Wave at each of the stationsis schematically shown by thedotted lines 34. The needles N then continue on in their movement to theright to pass station D, as indicated atrlevel B of Fig. 4, during whichmovement a group of three needles, 35, 36 and 37, is selected to takethe yarn 25, the leading needle risingonly to tuck level 38 (whereits'fold loop 29 is not moved below its latch'but remains thereon) whilethe needles 36 and 37 rise to full latch clearing level to shed bodyyarn stitches, and the remainingneedles N are at low non-yarn takinglevel. Movement of `the needles, so selected, to the right past stationD, will result in needle 35 forming tuck stitch 31v of yarn 23 leadingfrom stitch 29 (tuck stitch 31 will be on needle 3S along with stitch29), and need1es`36 and "37 forming stitches 39 :111440, also .0f yarnV2.3,i1i wales 41 and 42- Y During the return movement of needles N, tothe left, past station D, all the needles are idle and no knitting takesplace. Then as theneedles move to the left past station 1C course 1,43lof -body yarn 22 will` be formed, during whichthe ,body yarn ,will beknit through overplaid stitch 30 in Wale 27`and will be knitthroughoverplaid stitch 29 and overplaid tuckrstitch 31 in Wale 28, andduring which the body yarn will form aY oat 44 to the rear of stitches39 and 40 of wales 41 and 42 (but not of tuck stitch 45 which will beformed later), the course 43 being formed similarly to the formation ofcourse 25 except for the Wale-location of the floats. The course 46 isformed Vat stations C and Din a manner similar to the formation ofcourse 32 as the needles N move to the right, the body yarn 22 beingknit and forming the float 47 at station C while the yarn 23 is knit onneedles 37, 48 and 49 at station D, to form tuck stitch 45 onnneedle 37in wale 42 and overplaid stitches 50 and 51 on needles 48 and 49 inwales 52 and 53. The course 54, and the alternate following courses,aremade similarly to'courses 25 and 43, while ycourse 55, and the alternatefollowing courses, are made similarly to courses 32 and 46. The nextgroup of three needles will have needle 49 (which will tuck) as itsleading needle, and so on, the terminal needle of one needle group inone course of overplaid knitting becoming the leading tuck needle of thenext needle group of Athe next course.

In Fig..2, starting with 'course 25, the overplaid design isv angleddownwardly from right to left in the same direc tionA as the needles areprogressively actuated as they move to the right past stations C and D,this being the same direction in which the groups of needles, knittingthe overplaid, progress along the circle'o'f needles. The design so madeis the upper half of the zigzag line 21a, whereas the lower half of thezigzag line 21a is oppositely angled, and a portion of the same,enclosed in the box 3 of Fig. 1, is illustrated ink Fig. 3.

Generally the method of knitting the fabric of Fig. 3 is similiar tothat used'in the formation of the fabric of Fig. 2, except that theprogressive selection of the needle groups along the needle circle atstation D is now in the opposite direction,l that is, opposite to thedirection in Y which the individual needles Vare progressively actuatedas they move to the right past the station D. The formationof thebodyfabric, with its floats, of body yarn I22 at station C isidenticalwith the knitting of the fabric of Fig. 2. At station D, after bodycourse 56 is formed at station C by needles N moving to the right andwhile the needles' continue to move to the right past station D,considering the wales 42, 52, and 53, Fig. 3, the overplaid yarn 23 isknit on theneedles 37, 48 and 49, of which the needle 37v tucks to formthe overplaid yarn tuck stitch 57 on needle 37 in wale 42 which will beretained in the needle hook along with a body stitch of course 56, toform` overplaid stitch 5S on needle 48 in wale 52, and to form overplaidstitch 59 on needle 49 in wale 53. The course 60 is then knit, in themanner previously set forth, of body yarn 22 at station C as theneedlesmove to the left. The course 61 is then knit similarly to themanner of forming "the course 56, except that now the needles35,36,'"an'd`37iknit at station D to form the overplaid yarn'tuck stitch 62on needle 35 in wale 28to4 form Loverplaid Astitch 63 on needle 36 in`wale 41, and toform overplaid stitch 64 on needle 37 in wale` 42. lItVwill be noted that there are relatively long ioats 65 of the overplaidyarn 23 extending from the` wale of terminal stitch V59, of any oneoverplaid knitting course, lto the Wale fofjleading tuck `stitch 62"ofthe following overplaidknitting course. Knitting'continu'es,` after themethod set'forth, and thenext three needle vlgroup Will have needle 35asits terminal needle,l and so on. When the design is angled downwardlyand forwardly, the leading tuck needle ofjoiie needle group in onecourse of overplaid knitting 'becomes the terminal needle'of the nextneedle group for the next course.

`Considering Fig. 3, When the overplaid is knit only on successive pairsof needles in sucessive courses of overplaid knitting, as in applicationvSerial No.` 584,932; that is, no tucking of the yarn in a precedingWale, thenthe oat of yarn23 would extend from the Wale of a stitch 59 tothe Wale of a stitch 63, over four wales, Whereas ,l

in the present instance the float 65 is longer andl extendsv from theVWale ofa stitch 59 to: the Waleofaftuck stitch yarri'would be generallyWalewise and from the opposite directionv from a stitch 59 which wouldimpair the ap pearance of the stitch 63. Thus, .with the presentinvention, the-appearance of each pair ofA overplaid stitches in Fig. 3is improved and is substantially like the appearanceL of each pair ofoverplaid stitchesv in Fig. 2.` It should be noted in Fig. 2 that theaddition of Va tuck stitch to a regularstitch, such as `45 to 40, thesame loop formation does not materially alter its basic stitchappearance. In the fabric of 'Fig 2, the tuck stitch arrangement alsoprovides that the lead of the overplaid yarn 23 to a stitch 39 (and toother like stitches) is course Wise, as at 67, instead of being Walewisefrom the open end of a preceeding stitch 29. In Fig. V3, the tuck stitch57 is in loop formation along with a body yarn stitch Where it is hiddenand does not appear on the face of the fabric at all, the tuck stitchbeing placed on a body yarn stitch (instead of on an overplaid .yarnstitchas in v Fig. 2) due to the direction in which the needle lgroupselection is progressing. v

While the present invention has been described in connection with yarnsWhich have been termed overplaid de- Y and that the number of needles inthe groups need not be uniform Within a fabric area. Figs. 2 and'3 showthe body fabric with floats of the body yarn in. association withstitches of the overplaid yarns, however, the presextending at an angleto the wales for furnber of' courses,` including the stepof knitting abody yarn on a series of needles during reciprocatory strokes inopposite directions to form said body fabric, and the step of'knitlhaving stitches of a design yarn incorporated therein and extending atan angle tothewales'lfor lanumberof courses, including the step ofknitting a body yarn on a series of needles during reciprocatory strokesinopposite directions to form saidbody fabric, and the step of knit-lting a design yarn on each ofselected groupsof needles of said series ofneedles during reciprocatory strokes ine' one direction only to formsaid design stitches for each .f sa'id courses, the leading knittingneedle of each selected needle Vgroup tucking said design yarn for eachof said courses. Y

j 3. A method of reciprocatorily knitting a body fabric havingstitchesfof a design yarn -incorporated therein for a number ofcoursesf-and extending at an angle to the Wales, including thepstep ofknitting a body yarn on a series of needles during reciprocatorystrokesinvopposite directions to form said body fabric, and the step ofknitting a design yarn on each of successively selected groups ofneedles of said series of needles during reciprocatory strokes in onedirection only to form said design stitches for each of said courses,the leading knitting needle of each needle group tucking said designyarn for each of said courses, said last named needle being common to apair of said needle groups.

4. A method of reciprocatorily knitting a body fabric having stitches ofa design yarn incorporated therein for a number of'courses and extendingat an angle to the wales, including the step of knitting a body yarn ona series of needles during reciprocatory strokes in opposite ldirectionsto form said body fabric, and the step of knitting a design yarn on eachof successively selected groups of needles of said series of needlesduring reciprocatory strokes in one direction only to form said designstitches for each of said courses, a pair of successively selectedneedle groups having at least one needle common therev to, said lastnamed needle tucking said design yarn when ent invention is applicableto design yarns which are other- Y Wise incorporated in a body fabric,for example, by plating on the body stitches or by forming extra singleyarn stitches of the design yarnsy without body yarn lioats. In thefabric illustrated, there are two courses of body yarn to a singlecourse of the overplaid yarns, and, it will be understood that thepresent invention is applicable to overplaid stitches which areincorporated in other ways, for example, wherein there is a course ofoverplaid knitting per course of body yarn, or wherein the stitchstructure of the overplaid stitches is arranged differently.

Having thus described my invention in full detail, it will be understoodthat these details need not be strictly adhered to and that variouschanges and modifications may be made all falling Within the scope ofthe invention as defined by the following claims.

I claim:

l. A method vof reciprocatorily knitting a body fabric it is a member ofone of said pairs of needle groups and knitting a regular `stitch ofsaid design yarn when it is a member ofthe other of said pairs of needlegroups.

5. A method of reciprocatorily knitting a body fabric having stitches ofa design yarn incorporated therein for a number of courses' andextending at an angle to the Wales, including the step ofreciprocatorily knitting a body yarn on a series of needles to formsaidfabric, and the step of reciprocatorily knitting-a design'yarn on eachof successively selected groups of needles of said needle series to formsaid design stitches for each of said courses,

a pair of successively selected needle groups having at least one needlecommon thereto, said last named needle being the terminal knittingneedle of the first selected of said pair of needle groups at which timeit forms a regular stitch of said design yarn andalso being the leadingknitting needle of the other of said pair of needle groups at which timeit forms a tuck stitch of said design yarn. t

6. A method of reciprocatorily'knitting a body fabric having stitches ofa design yarn incorporated therein for a number of courses and extendingat an angle to the wales, including the step of reciprocatorily knittinga body yarn on a series of needles to form said fabric, and the step ofreciprocatorily knitting a design yarn on each of successively selectedneedle groups of said needle series to form said design stitches foreach of said courses,

' a pair of successively selected needle groups having Yat havingstitches of a design yarn incorporatedtherein and least one needlecommon thereto, said last named needle beingvtheleading knitting needleof, the first selectedfcf said painofneedlegroups at which time itforrnsa, tuck stitchof said Adesignryarnjand also being the terminalvneedletofthe other of said pair of-needle groups at which` time ityforrnsua regular stitch of said design yarn,

7. A method of reciprocatorily knitting a body fabric having stitcheslof ya design yarn incorporated therein for apnurnberofcourses; andextending at an angle to the wales, including the step of knitting abodypyarn on a.`

needle series ,at one. knittingstation during reciprocatory strokes inoppositewdirections, to form said ,body fabric and thevstep of knitting`adesign yarn on` a needle group o f said` needle series at a Vsecondknittingstation duringl reciprocatorystrokesin,onedirection only to formsaid design stitches for oneofl saidcourses, the iirst needle.

cessively selected groups of needles at a second knitting stationduringreciprocatory strokes .in onedirection onlyV to form said designstitches -for each of said courses-,a pairgof successively selectedneedle groups having atleast one needle common thereto.

arnfn'mber ofcourses andextending'at an angle to the Wales,v includingthe.L step of reciprocatorily knitting@v body,yarn on a-,needle seriesat one knitting stationfto,v

form said body fabric and the step of reciprocatorily vknit-- i tingladesignryarn oneach of successively selected grOliPS of needles at asecond knitting station to form said design,

stitches-.for each of said courses, a pair 'of successively selected`needle groups having vat least one needle corn.Y mon thereto,\said lastnamed needle forminga tuck stitch of said design'yarn-when itis a memberof one of said pairs of needle groups and knitting a regular stitchofsaid design yarn when it is a member of the other of Asaid pairs ofneedle groups.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED vSTATES PATENTS1,965,607 Saftlas 2---- July 10, 1934 2,217,022 Lawson et al. Oct. 8,1940 2,451,214. Green.` Oct. 12, 1,948

' 2,642,732l Thurston .Tune 23, 1953 2,660,961,v Thurston June 15, 19542,687,631 Lombardi Aug. 3l, 1954 2,693,094 Marlette et a1. Nov. 2, 1954.

' FOREIGN PATENTS 265,513 Germany Oct. 7, 1913 482,651 Great BritainApr. 1, 1938

